Comus
by Elle6
Summary: A SS/HG story loosely based on the 1954 movie 'Sabrina.' Hermione is in love with Ron, but their relationship would ruin Snape's plans, and he won't allow that. DH Compliant, minus epilogue.
1. Prologue

When the war ended Severus Snape did not go back to Hogwarts.

This at the outset was because he spent many months recuperating in St Mungo's from the wounds he received from that blasted snake. He could not recall much from that day, but had been told that after the dust had settled and the bodies had been counted someone realized he was missing. Apparently the Granger girl had been beside herself at the thought of his body being left behind and so had gathered together a group of her compatriots to go retrieve it.

Clever witch that she was, when the group arrived at the Shack she noticed that he was not dead after all. Luckily for him by the time she convinced the rest of the dunderheads of this fact and apparated him to St Mungo's, most of those others who had been injured had already been stabilized and full attention was given to his condition.

He had been pestered for the first couple of weeks by well wishers and those who felt the need to apologize. His name was cleared and an Order of Merlin was bestowed, however he skipped the ceremony, claiming a bad headache. The scar on his throat would never heal properly, and so he was released from the hospital, ostensibly a healthy man but lacking any visible signs of such.

Sitting alone in Spinner's End his first night out of St Mungo's he cleared himself mentally of any further obligation to Hogwarts or Dumbledore. Instead, he decided that he would live his life as he chose.

He quietly began to purchase companies. Weasley Wizard Wheezes was an easy acquisition. Over time he slowly built a conglomerate of magical companies. His calculated view of life, which had saved him countless times back in his spying days, was now focused on conquering the business world.

As an added bonus, many of his current employees were former students, and so he was able to continue his pastime of making their lives hell. He was considered to be a firm and intimidating boss, but not quite as cruel as back in his Hogwarts days.

Before he knew it five years had passed since he had begun his project. His businesses now were the most successful and formidable in all of England.

He now had his sights set on the Continent.

-

Hermione had faltered after the Final Battle. Sure, at first there had been plenty to do. There were people to take care of, awards to be given and received, and accounts to be written. But after the first few months, when the dust settled, she realized she had no idea what to do next. All of her formative years, since she had been eleven years old, had been focused on staying alive long enough to help Harry kill Voldemort. Harry was now in Auror training and busy with Ginny.

Ron had taken over his brother's position at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She knew she was hopelessly in love with him, but he was using his new fame to hook up with every witch in England. They met up once a week for dinner, and these dinners were all the kept Hermione going, though it hurt her terribly to hear his stories of being adored by the masses. With his usual amount of insight, Ron seemed to be completely oblivious to her feelings for him.

A year after the battle the Ministry put on a ball to celebrate the anniversary, and Hermione was required to attend, however uninspired she felt to get dressed up and dance. Her only consolation was that she was seated next to Professor Mc Gonagall. During the meal Hermione could feel her former mentor's penetrating stare. Although she had done her best to seem happy and content, she knew McGonagall could tell she was anything but.

'My dear, have you managed to find any employment?' McGonagall quietly asked.

'No, but not for lack of trying,' Hermione responded. 'To be honest, I simply haven't found anything that interests me.'

'What if I told you that I know of the perfect placement?' Hermione's eyes lit up a bit. 'I know for a fact that a new company is looking for a research assistant, working with experimental potions.'

They quickly discussed details, and Hermione promised to owl her CV to the address McGonagall gave her the very next morning.

-

A/N: New story that I'm working on, based loosely on 'Sabrina' the 1954 movie starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Uploads will be weekly, I hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

Hermione was sulking in a corner. It was the Second Annual Final Battle Ball at the Ministry and in general life the past year had been much rosier for Hermione. Her new job was challenging and made her happy to jump out of bed each morning. Harry was back from Auror training and back in her life. The only sour spot was Ron. Hermione was still hopelessly in love with him, perhaps even more hopelessly than before.

She was sitting with her chin in her fists, staring at him as he swirled some blonde across the dance floor. She was staring with such intensity that she didn't notice Harry until he tapped her on the shoulder. Ginny was off to the side, giving them some space, but also giving Hermione a pitying look.

'I think maybe it's time for you to go home Hermione,' Harry said gently. 'Will you let me get your coat for you?'

'No.'

'Hermione, it's late. You should get some sleep,' Harry tried again.

'Thanks, but I'm staying a bit longer,' She kept her eyes on the blonde, who was now giggling incessantly.

Harry looked over to Ginny for support. The redhead smiled softly and nodded her head.

Harry took a deep breath to steel himself and began. 'Hermione, this has gone on for far too long. I know I wasn't here for you when you needed me, but this has become an obsession.' Hermione finally pulled her eyes away from the dance floor and looked at Harry. 'Ron is never going to see you the way you see him, not so long as there are pretty girls with empty heads who will dance with him. You deserve better, and you should forget him.

Hermione was silent, her mouth hanging open a bit. She realized now that she had needed someone to verbally slap her, but she hadn't expected just how hard it would hit.

Harry feared he had gone too far. To cover his embarrassment with the whole situation he quickly pulled Hermione into a tight hug. He loved her dearly and hated seeing her like this, all lovelorn and not herself.

Hermione pulled away after a moment and wiped her eyes of the little tears which had started seeping out. 'You're right Harry; this really is pointless, isn't it?'

Harry nodded. 'Are you ready to go home now?'

Hermione glanced at the dancers one last time. 'Actually, no. I need to stop by the office.' Harry looked concerned, so Hermione tried her best to smile. 'Honestly, Harry, I'm glad someone finally woke me up to reality. I don't want you to worry about me anymore.' She kissed him on the check, waved goodbye to Ginny, and walked out of the hall.

-

Snape did his best to maintain a reclusive persona. He told himself it was a smart business tactic. Whenever he did appear at one of his businesses the mere sight of him was enough to get his workers back on task. He knew they all feared being called to a meeting with him. It worked quite splendidly, really.

But it was also because of his scar. Really, it could hardly be called a scar. Scars were supposed to be left over from healing, but his wound had never really healed. It was a rather disgusting thing to see, and although he hardly even admitted it to himself he hated the stares. Rather than inspiring fear, he inspired pity when anyone saw his wound.

He did pride himself on opening up since the Final Battle. Minerva had not backed down since first visiting him in St Mungo's. She had pushed herself on him until he gave in. He considered her a friend now and was often at Hogwarts for a private breakfast meeting.

She became his confidant, and perhaps even his advisor. He valued her opinion on his business, and very often her advice was followed with positive results. He liked to think that she also valued his opinion, and very often gave it to her regarding how to run Hogwarts. After all, even if he was Headmaster for less than a full year's term, he still had held the position before her.

Aside from Minerva however, he was as cold and reserved as ever.

And he had his fair share of moments of weakness, as any human does. Minerva was a wonderful intellectual stimulant for him, but occasionally he needed other types of stimulation. He did his best to handle these situations on his own as they arose, but occasionally it was more than he could handle.

His loneliness felt palpable at times. He knew he needed the physical intimacy that he craved, and yet when he was sated there was still something missing.

He threw his energies into his businesses and his work, and drowned any occasional worries with Firewhiskey. He thought he was getting along just fine, thank you very much.

And so he found himself that Saturday night, or actually early Sunday morning, walking through the halls of his main office. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he figured he might as well get some work done.

As he walked past the experimental potions lab he noticed a light on.

-

Hermione apparated to her office and slowly walked down the hall to her lab. She worked in the experimental potions lab for Snape Industries. Of course, none of the projects she worked on bore the name 'Snape Industries' when they went to market. Rather, they were branded under the companies which were owned by Snape Industries; Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Sleakeasy's Hair Products, Leaky Cauldron Food products, Slug & Jiggers Potions.

Hermione sat down at her workbench and shoved all the scrolls and parchments off with one sweep of her hand. Nubs of quills and a couple of bottles of ink clattered on to the floor with them. Hermione didn't notice. Reality had hit her hard and now all she could see was Ron's face, smiling at another girl.

She grabbed a single piece of parchment off the ground and began writing.

Dear Harry –

You're right; this has gone on far too long. I've been a pitiful fool. I want to die. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do.

Goodbye,

Hermione

She paused for a moment and read over her note. Something seemed missing. She didn't want to blather on like some emotional idiot, yet, she knew she had to add one last note.

P.S. Don't have Ron at the funeral. He probably wouldn't even cry.

She folded up the note, addressed it to Harry, and called over one of the office owls. As the bird flew out the window, carrying her note, she began to assemble ingredients.

She grabbed Wiggenweld bark, a vial of flobberworm mucus, and one stewed mandrake. She threw all these into an already simmering cauldron of forgetfulness potion. The light blue of the potion swirled to a dark navy. Hermione grabbed one final ingredient, a vial of Death-Cap Draught, and threw it in as well.

The mixture began to bubble and let off a noxious gas. Hermione sat down next to it on the floor and deeply inhaled. It smelled vile and she began to cough, but stayed seated. Her area of the lab was rather small and she had made sure to seal it well before she began. It would only take a few minutes before the fumes from the potion killed her.

She lay back on the floor, still coughing, and closed her eyes, waiting for death.

Her coughing got softer and she felt herself drifting off.

-

Snape wanted to know who else in his company would be here at this hour of the night, or rather early morning. The door was open to the experimental potions lab and all the lights on. He stepped into the room, but didn't see anyone.

As he walked around the room he began to hear someone coughing. There were a couple of private labs off the main one, so he began opening doors. The first three were empty, but as he approached the fourth he began to smell something almost putrid.

He swung open the door to the little lab and saw the cauldron that was giving off the stench. He immediately recognized that the problem was Death-Cap Draught mixed with something volatile. He raced back to the main room and grabbed a handful of shredded dittany from the store cupboards.

With the dittany thrown into the cauldron the fumes began to subside and Snape was able to look around a bit. There appeared to be no one in the room.

He picked up a piece of parchment from the many strewn about and read 'From the Office of Ms Granger.' A quiet cough from the corner of the room caught his attention.

He walked back to a big desk and peered beneath it. Underneath was none other than the know-it-all herself, Hermione Granger, coughing quietly and looking a bit ashamed.

'What is going on here?' Snape demanded of her. She merely stared up at him, with a bit of a dreamy look on her face. 'Ms Granger, why are you crouched under that desk while a cauldron of poison was brewing mere feet from you?

'Hello,' she responded.

'What are you doing here?' Snape crouched down on the floor next to her, trying to see what exactly she was doing.

'Just… uh, doing some research.'

'At this hour?' He asked incredulously. She began to sit up and he helped pull her up until she was seated in her desk chair.

'Well, I didn't want to disturb anyone,' She refused to meet his eye now.

'You might never have done so again,' Snape replied with a derisive laugh. 'Well, we both better get out of here until the air clears.'

She was still coughing quite a lot, so Snape was forced to help her stand and walk to the main lab room. 'Here now, breathe deep. That's right, now deep breath again.'

She coughed again and began to slump towards the floor. Snape quickly grabbed her and held her upright. Looking around he realized there was no suitable place for an unconscious woman in the lab, so he apparated them both to his office. He carefully set her down on a couch and stepped back.

After a moment she coughed again and opened her eyes. 'What happened?'

'You passed out. I brought you to my office,' He responded quietly.

'You needn't have done that,' Hermione started to try to sit up, but quickly slouched back down.

'Of all the idiotic things to do,' Snape began in his professor tone. 'Were you not listening at all when I taught you that Death-Cap Draught cannot be mix with anything containing Wiggenweld bark or Mandrake root? You could have been killed.'

'I was listening in class, sir, ' she mumbled.

'Lucky I came along. It wouldn't have taken more than a couple of minutes more and there wouldn't have been anything I could have done.' Snape watched as Hermione turned bright red, while continuing to cough a bit more. He looked away from her and silently conjured a small vial. 'Here, drink this. It will help with the cough. Then I think you should be on your way home. It's quite late and you need to get some rest. You can clean up tomorrow.'

'Yes, sir.' Hermione swallowed the potion and stood up. 'And, thank you.'

'Of course. Don't be late tomorrow.'

'No, sir.' Hermione stared at him just one second longer, and then she disapparated.

Snape sat down behind his desk and sighed. The whole situation seemed to be missing some key point, something he simply couldn't put his finger on.

He shook his head and pulled out some paperwork to pass the rest of the night.

-

Early Sunday morning Hermione woke to loud banging on her front door.

'I swear to god Hermione, if you're in there you had better let me in now!' Harry was yelling from her hallway. She could hear him muttering to himself about 'stupid wards.'

Hermione stood in her living room listening to him for a few moments, taking some deep breaths and trying to prepare herself. It was clear that he had just got her owl.

When she opened the door she found Harry red faced, sweating, and possibly crying.

'Oh my god, Hermione,' Harry pulled her into the tightest hug she'd even had the misfortune to endure. 'I am so glad to see you.' He pulled back from her a minute and looked her dead in the eye. 'What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I got your letter?'

With that he reached down into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of parchment and held it up for her to see.

'I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to upset you.' Hermione took the parchment from him and balled it up in her fist. 'But, as you can see, I'm perfectly alright.'

'Are you going to explain yourself?' Harry was losing the look of relief and now just starting to look angry.

'I don't really want to talk about it,' Hermione walked over to her couch and sat down. 'But, if you want to hear it, I will tell you what I'm planning on doing in the future.'

Harry sat down across from her and leaned back. 'Alright then, go ahead.'

'First, I'm resigning from my job,' Harry started to interrupt Hermione, but she shushed him. 'I had an offer a month ago from a French Potions Master to study under him, and so I am going to accept and move to France for a while. I think some space and change would do me good.'

Harry took this all in for a moment. 'I think that's a good idea.'

'Thank you, Harry,' Hermione smiled a bit. 'I'll be leaving this afternoon, so would you mind helping me pack up?'

Harry smiled and shook his head. 'Always in a hurry!'

After Hermione sent off her two owls, one to Snape and one to the French Potions Master, they spent the day packing her things together. By 4pm she was ready to leave. They both had tears in their eyes as they hugged goodbye. Then Hermione apparated away from her problems.

-


	3. Chapter 2

Snape had always thought himself intelligent, but this time he had really outdone himself. In the past he had heard that he had no soft skills; that he didn't know how people worked. Well, he was going to prove them all wrong. He had a plan which would bring him a whole new division to add to his ever expanding portfolio, and would bring together a couple.

When he told Minerva of his plan she laughed in his face. He had felt quite proud for coming up with this plan on his own, and so he didn't let her criticism get him down.

'Oh, Severus. You are a proud cock, aren't you?' Minerva laughed. 'I'm afraid that your plan is very dependent on two very undependable young people.'

'What on earth do you mean?' Severus was a bit incredulous. His plan was fool proof. If the old Headmistress couldn't see that, then she was going senile a lot faster than he thought. 'I've heard that love is unpredictable, but with a little prodding why wouldn't they be a good match?'

'Believe me, Severus the last thing I want to do is discourage you from this plan. I think it will be quite amusing to see how it all turns out.' Minerva reclined in her chair and looked up at the former Headmaster's portraits around her. One with rather twinkling eyes caught her attention as he very dramatically winked at her. 'I simply want to warn you that all may not go according to your plan and timeline.'

'Thank you for the warning, Minerva,' Severus said gruffly. 'I will keep it in mind. Now, though, I think it is time for me to leave.' He stood abruptly and made for the door.

'Severus, I do hope I have not offended you. That was not my intention.'

'Not at all. I simply have quite a lot of work to do so I can make sure I prove you wrong.' He left the room too quickly to see the large smile which spread across the old woman's face.

-

Dear Harry,

I am settled in now and beginning my studies. I was surprised to find that the Master has a couple of other pupils, who seem to rotate in and out frequently. I suppose they do apprentice programs differently here in France than what I've heard about in England.

I am re-learning all the basics of potions-making. I feel like a first year again! We spent an entire week just on how to start the flame under a cauldron. Apparently, I've been doing it wrong all these years.

I want you to know that I hardly think of Ron anymore, except at night. I decided to be sensible the other day and tore him out of the photo of the three of us. By any chance, do think you could send me some spello-tape?

Tell Ginny I say hello, and please don't worry about me!

Hermione

'Well, she sounds happy,' was all Ginny could manage after Harry read her Hermione's letter.

'I suppose, yet she still seems fixated on Ron. Do you think she will ever get over him?' Harry put the letter down to hold his fiancées hands.

'The distraction and distance that this Master is giving her is very good. Though, to be honest it normally takes another guy coming along before a girl can forget a first love,' Ginny smiled. 'Perhaps she will meet a handsome French wizard who will sweep her off her feet!'

-

Snape was not looking forward to his afternoon meeting. The two Weasley boys would be coming in, and even on the best of days they were trying. He kept them on at Weasley Wizard Wheezes as the face of the company, and because the elder boy actually had some creative product ideas.

However, today was all about the youngest male Weasley, Ron. He, the sidekick of The Boy Who Lived, had now become a celebrity all his own. He was quite the party-boy around Town and made the headlines almost as often as Potter, who had become quite boring in his engagement.

Snape's thoughts were interrupted by a silent alarm letting him know his two guests had arrived. He met them in the hall and the three men walked to the conference room.

'Well, Snape,' George began. 'We're not sure why you called us here today, but if it has anything to do with the Holiday sales numbers, I can assure you that our new line of products should take care of that.'

'Thank you, Mr Weasley. However, that is not why I asked you here today.' Snape felt uneasy. Snape didn't like to feel uneasy. This wasn't going to be fun, unless things went his way perfectly. He could hear Minerva's laughter in his mind. 'In fact, this is perhaps a bit more of a personal matter, regarding the younger Mr Weasley.'

Ron, who had been slouching up until this point, sat up quickly and looked at Snape. 'You mean me?'

'Quite,' replied Snape. 'I understand you are seeing a Ms Elena Petkov. Is this true?'

'Well, um, yeah. I guess?' Ron felt very uncomfortable about this conversation all of a sudden. He knew his lifestyle in the past couple of years had been a bit extravagant, but he hadn't realized it could get him in trouble at work. He needed this job! All the girls loved the cool new products he could get for them.

'You guess?' Snape couldn't understand what that could mean. 'Well, I'm afraid you are going to need to be more certain about that within the next month or so.'

'Uh…why?' was all the response Ron could muster.

'I would like you to marry her.' Snape said flatly.

The two brothers looked at each other, looked at Snape, and then began to laugh uncontrollably.

After a full minute had passed, Snape interrupted the two boys. 'I fail to see what is so comical. This is a business matter. I understand that it has personal implications for you, Mr Weasley, however Ms Petkov's father owns the only remaining distributor on the Continent who has not agreed to carry my products.'

The boys stopped laughing and just stared at Snape.

'We are launching the products in five new countries in the next month. However, without Mr. Petkov's distribution agreement the whole venture is jeopardized. I understand this may be an imposition, however I am sure it is merely a speeding up of what would have naturally occurred in your relationship with Ms Petkov.'

Ron turned bright red and stood up quickly away from the table.

'This is unbelievable. I have no intention of marrying Elena. None. And I certainly won't marry her just so you can make some more money from it.'

He stormed out of the room and both remaining men could hear the pop of his disapparition.

Snape sat quietly. He had known going in to the meeting that discussing his employee's personal lives would be quite uncomfortable for him, but he had never foreseen this outcome.

Eventually George cleared his throat. 'I'm afraid my younger brother might have reacted rather harshly. He's not used to people telling him what to do anymore.' George sighed. His youngest brother was his favorite remaining brother, but even he got annoyed with Ron some times. George could see that Snape was going to get whatever Snape wanted, and that it was best if he and his family went along with it. 'Let me try talking to him. Once he calms down he'll see what the right thing to do is.'

The two men shook hands and left the conference room. Neither was looking forward to the task ahead of him.

-

Dear Harry,

I've really begun to enjoy my life here in Paris. There's a phrase that keeps running through my mind, La Vie en Rose. It means, 'life in pink,' which is a silly way to say that I'm looking at life through rose coloured glasses.

A new apprentice started about a month ago. His name is Count Gustav and he is perhaps the most charming man I've ever met. He came to brush up on healing potions, but now claims he will stay on for household potions.

We've been to l'Opera Garnier and he has a standing reservation at all the best restaurants in the city. I do wish you and Ginny could meet him, but at 107 years he's a bit too feeble for long-distance apparition.

All my love to you both,

Hermione

'No mention of Ron,' Harry mused. He and Ginny were sitting at their kitchen table, dissecting Hermione's latest letter.

'That may be my fault,' Ginny replied. 'I told her when she floo-called to see my wedding dress that it bothered you to hear her talk about Ron.' Ginny looked down at her hands, only a bit guiltily.

'Oh, Ginny. I know you have the best intentions, but that probably only upset her more.' Harry took her hands and made her look him in the eyes. 'Now, would this be the dress I'm not allowed to see?' Ginny nodded. 'And what was Hermione's opinion?'

'Well, she loved it of course! And she gave me the most nasty curse to put on it, just in case your curiosity overcomes you,' Ginny said with a sly grin that earned her a kiss from her husband-to-be.

-

As Snape closed his morning meeting with his Asian distributor he began to think about his upcoming appointment. The youngest Mr. Weasley had requested to see him and would be arriving within the hour.

Snape was torn. Either Mr. Weasley intended to berate him further for intervening in his life, or he was coming to resign. Only the smallest bit of hope was allowed for the possibility that Mr Weasley had come to his senses and would be marrying. After all, it had been over a month since their previous first meeting and Snape had heard nothing from either Weasley brother.

He had just rearranged his desk when Mr. Weasley arrived. He stood as the young man entered his office and offered him tea, which was declined.

'I'm afraid Mr. Weasley that although I can assume the general topic of our meeting today, I cannot guess as to what direction it will be going in, and so I will have to ask you to begin,' Snape began as they seated themselves.

'Yes, well. I, uh,' Ron began, with his usual eloquence. 'I've, uh, asked Elena to marry me.'

'Indeed,' Snape replied. Well, he wasn't surprised. Clearly even this dunderhead could see how good his plan was.

'Yes, and she's, uh, agreed,' Ron stuttered some more. 'In fact, the family all quite like her. Even mum.'

'Quite. Well, my congratulations, Mr. Weasley.' Snape leaned back in his chair. 'I shall of course pay for the wedding, and will move forward with the business plans.'

'Oh, well, uh, thanks I suppose,' Ron turned bright red. 'But I think mum and dad will want to pay for the wedding. It's a tradition, see?'

'Right. Well then,' Snape stood up. 'Thank you for coming to your senses Mr. Weasley, and again, my congratulations.'

Ron took the hint and quickly fled.

Snape nearly smiled as the boy exited his office, but of course he refrained. He knew exactly where he would be going for dinner tonight; straight up to Hogwarts to gloat in Minerva's face.

-

War Hero to Marry Russian Heiress

-Rita Skeeter

Hero from the Final Battle against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Ronald Weasley is to wed Elena Petkov, the young heiress to a large Russian trade fortune.

The former party boy seems to be settling down and hasn't been spotted in any of his usual haunts for at least a week. Many thought that the youngest of the Weasley men would allow himself to be tied down by one woman for many years to come. There have been rumors of a pregnancy.

News broke of his engagement only when a business venture between Ms Petkov's father and Mr. Weasley's employer Mr. Severus Snape was registered with the Ministry of Magic. A little sleuthing by your intrepid reporter discovered the contract was only signed after Mr. Petkov received the news of his daughter's betrothal.

Many witches around the country are sure to be disappointed by the news of one of England's most eligible bachelors being snatched up, but never fear ladies! He isn't married yet, and as all the followers of this paper know, it isn't in stone until after the wedding.

-

Dear Hermione,

We're very happy to hear that you will be coming home soon. Do let us know what time you plan on coming in. If you can plan it near tea-time we'd love to have a bite in The Leaky Cauldron.

I do have to warn you Hermione, that Ron has formed an attachment. I've included the write up from The Daily Prophet. I am so sorry to have to tell you this. They're planning a September wedding, only a couple of months away. Rather quick in my and mum's opinion, but you know Ron and his rash decisions.

I do hope that you aren't too upset over all this. You seem to be getting along very well in Paris, and it has been nearly a year since you last saw him.

In any case, Harry and I cannot wait to see you on Friday!

All my love,

Ginny

-

Ginny,

I am so looking forward to coming home! I'll arrive at 4:00pm, so I'll expect to see you and Harry at The Leaky Cauldron. I have lots of gifts, including something that I hope you'll be willing to use as your 'something blue.'

Thank you for letting me know about Ron and his fiancée. The article isn't very nice, is it? But then again, I suppose that's all one can expect from Rita Skeeter. Rather odd about Snape though.

Don't be late on Friday!

Hermione

-

A/N: My apologies for not posting a chapter last Sunday. Because of the holiday I was away from my computer. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year!


	4. Chapter 3

Hermione quickly checked her hair in her compact. She loved her new look, but still needed to get used to it a bit. Her hair was now just above shoulder-length, spelled to stay in loose, flowing curls. She ran her fingers through it, pushing the shorter pieces out of her eyes, and began walking down Diagon Alley.

As she passed Obscurus Books, she was tempted to pop in and have a look, but decided against it. She was early to meet Ginny and Harry, but figured she would grab a table and wait for them over a good pint.

She was quite glad to be home. Paris had been fun, certainly, but England was home. She felt she had grown up in the year she had been away. Yes, her physical appearance had changed, there was no doubt about that, and it had a lot to do with Count Gustav. He had been such a dear, and on top of the Opera and fancy restaurants he had insisted that what a girl with a broken heart needed most was a bit of shopping. On his account, _mais bien sûr_.

She only hoped this was enough to catch Ron's eye.

Oh, she had told the Count that she was over Ron, and had done her best to reassure Harry and Ginny of the same. But the truth was that she loved him, and true love is forever, even unrequited love.

However, she did hope that her love would be unrequited for only a bit longer.

There was the little problem of the engagement though. For the first, and she believed last time, Hermione agreed with Rita Skeeter. Ron wasn't married yet, and until both he and his intended said 'I do' she had no intention of giving up the chase.

As she walked in to The Leaky Cauldron, she scanned for a free table, but quickly changed her mind. There was far more to be gained, she hoped, by sitting at the bar.

-

Ron liked to take long lunches, and lately his lunches had become longer and involved more than one pint. George didn't like it, but didn't say anything.

Truth was, he wasn't much needed around the shop anyway. He could be a good salesman when he wanted to be, and when he was sober, but he hadn't been either in a couple of months. Well, since that Skeeter article had come out really.

That had made the whole thing real. He supposed that getting down in one knee and giving a girl a ring should have made it real enough, but it hadn't really sunk in that he had tied himself down until he saw it in print.

His mother was quite delighted by Elena. In fact, the whole family seemed to like her. George had pushed him into proposing, saying that it was about time he started acting like a man and not a boy. Why not with Elena?

So, here he sat at half-past 3pm, drinking his third, or was it fourth, pint of the afternoon, when a pretty girl sat next to him.

She was a bit dressed up for The Leaky Cauldron on a Friday afternoon; her hair in loose curls that he wanted to pull his fingers through, tight black skirt, and a green silk blouse. She was a vision, who ordered the same as he was drinking.

When Tom handed the woman her pint Ron leaned over and said 'Put it on my tab, Tom, if the lady will allow?'

'Thank you,' she responded with a bright smile. 'I've only just arrived from abroad, and the first thing I could think was how much I needed a good English pint.'

'I'm glad I could be of service. I'm Ron Weasley,' he held out his hand. 'I'm afraid I don't think we've met.'

'Indeed?' The girl looked at him a bit funny. She shook his hand firmly and he felt all tingly when she let go.

'Will you not share your name with me as well?' Ron was a bit confused.

'Oh, no. It's much more fun this way, with me knowing who you are, and you not knowing who I am,' she had a glint in her eye that was driving him mad.

'So you like to play games?' Ron smiled back at her. 'Can it be a guessing game?'

'If you like.'

'You just came from abroad. Are you in International Magical Relations?'

She laughed. 'Hardly!'

'Do you work for the Ministry, then?'

'No, in fact I suppose I'm of no profession currently.'

Ron frowned. 'Well, I'm stumped.' When she laughed at him he couldn't help but laugh with her. It was infectious.

'Let's not worry about what I do!' She said.

'Alright then. But I am concerned about what you're doing tomorrow night.' Ron tried to be deadly serious, but failed and cracked a smile.

'Oh, nothing special.' She replied. It was bloody difficult to get any information out of her, but Ron continued on.

'Well, then! It's decided. You'll just have to come to the Ministry Ball with me.' Ron leaned back in his chair to wait for her reply.

Just as she opened her beautiful lips to respond she was accosted by two people.

One of whom was his sister.

The other was his best friend.

Things got a bit blurry for a moment and then became crystal clear as the woman looked back at him, her eyes sparkling.

Hermione.

She was Hermione. He had just asked Hermione on a date. And to the bloody Ministry Ball of all places. There was hardly a place more public that he could have invited her to. Now that he was thinking of it, Elena had already bought a dress and they had planned to go.

What had he been thinking? How could he backtrack?

He began to realize that people were talking to him.

'…glad that you ran into each other,' Ginny was saying.

'Yes, it was such a nice coincidence. We were catching up a bit,' Hermione replied.

Ron stood up quickly. 'I'm, uh, Excuse me. I have to get back to the shop.' He started to push away from the tight group, but felt a hand on his shoulder.

'I'll meet you there, at eight?' Hermione's eyes were doing the sparkly thing that had been so enchanting just a minute earlier. 'I've got the loveliest dress, from Paris, that's just perfect for the Ministry Ball.'

Ron paused, not sure what to do, but those eyes pulled him in. 'Yes, I'll see you at eight.' He walked away as quickly as he could, while trying to reconcile the Hermione he had just seen with the one he had grown up with. He wasn't sure it would be possible.

-

Snape hated going to these war hero parties. Everyone was so disingenuous. He would be stopped a thousand times by people he didn't know or didn't like to have to shake his hand and be given a 'heartfelt' thank you.

It wasn't that he thought he didn't deserve to be thanked. No, he had done more than most for the Cause. It was the hypocrisy of these people that bothered him.

How many had stood up before Potter's testimony to defend his honour? How many had believed during his year as Headmaster that he wasn't pure evil? Even McGonagall was guilty of that.

He didn't blame her though. If she hadn't have believed his act he probably would have been killed much earlier, and the Dark Lord certainly would have made sure there was no coming back for a traitor.

His hand quickly went to his still open wound. He was thankful that there was no pain, but it was unsightly. He wasn't a vain man, but he still wore high collars to hide the ugly mark of his past.

He was very grateful for McGonagall's company, and knew that the only enjoyable part of tonight's Ball would be her presence. He had so enjoyed crowing over her about the Weasley boy, and with him and his fiancée in the room it would be even more fun.

She had tried to warn him, echoing that Skeeter woman. Everyone seemed to doubt the boy's ability to make it to the altar, even the girl's father. Mr. Petkov doubted, and was putting off signing the deal until the wedding was a bit closer.

The deal was getting along quite nicely though. Everything was worked out, and the distribution rates and rights were mainly in Snape Industry's favour. Yes, Snape's plans to dominate the Continent's potions market were coming along quite nicely. So long as everything went according to plan, he would soon be the leader in Eastern Europe.

Mr. Petkov would be at the Ministry Ball tonight to watch over his daughter and Weasley. At least Snape knew that if the Russian got to be more than he could handle he could always push him off on Minerva. She was far too kind hearted not to take pity on him.

And, with this last thought reassuring him a bit, he apparated to the Ministry.

-

Hermione was ecstatic.

She was in her new flat in London getting ready for the Ministry Ball. Harry and Ginny had tried to warn her yesterday when they sat down at The Leaky Cauldron, but she couldn't listen to them. She knew they were concerned, but they just had to see that once she was with Ron everything would be better.

She pulled her hair back loosely and pinned it. Looking in the mirror, she smiled. She had wanted him since she first met him. She hadn't known it of course until their sixth year, but once it dawned on her she couldn't let it go.

She had thought that they had finally broken through whatever barriers were holding him back during their search for the Horcruxes. She finally thought that he understood how perfect they were together. Apparently the flood of girls that pounced on him after the Final Battle made him forget.

Well, she accepted that, even if she couldn't understand it. Tonight however, she would finally be able to make him see. She slipped on her dress. Navy blue, tightly fitted with a low V-neck, it hit right below her knees. She toed into her nude heels and examined herself. She knew that she could out-shine any of those fame seekers. Now she just had to hope that their connection and history was enough to make him forget his finance.

She wasn't yet secure on that.

-

'What do you mean she's coming to meet you?' Demanded a red-faced George.

'I didn't know it was her!' Ron spluttered.

'Why does it matter who she is? The point is that you invited a woman to be your date who isn't your fiancée!'

George couldn't believe just how stupid his little brother could be sometimes. His whole family loved Elena and was so happy to finally see Ron settling down. On top of that, there was the fact that Snape wanted Ron and Elena married, and although George believed that Snape had always been on their side during the war, that didn't mean he wasn't an evil, vindictive and cold hearted bastard. No, Ron needed to fix this, and if he couldn't handle it then George would just have to step in himself. There was no way that George was going to let his brother ruin this.

'Yeah, I know!' Ron was getting pretty red-faced himself, but tried to calm down. They had just arrived at the Ministry and he didn't want people to start staring. 'I'll fix it, somehow. You'll just have to help me distract Elena.'

'Distract Elena?' George hadn't seen that in his plan.

'Yeah, distract her while I spend a bit of time with Hermione. You have no idea how great she looks now! I just need a bit of time alone. I feel like there might be something there!' Ron smiled a bit.

'No. Absolutely not. You are not going to just run off on Elena because a hot new girl walks into your sights.' George shook his head, exasperated with his brother.

'That's just my point. This isn't some new girl, George. This is Hermione. She's been in my life forever. Would you really put my happiness ahead of a business plan?' Ron clearly wasn't above a bit of pleading if he had to.

George sighed. 'You're my brother, and I want what makes you happy. Just don't forget what it would mean if you chose Hermione over Elena.'

'I know. I just need some time to figure out what my feelings are. I won't do anything to jeopardize my engagement unless I know that Hermione is the one for me.'

-

Elena was so happy as she walked into the Ministry with her father. Here she was, the future bride of a war hero at the Ministry Ball honoring all that her fiancée and his friends had done for the wizarding world. There certainly wasn't a better place in the world for her, and she deserved it.

Yes, she knew she deserved to have such a famous and respected husband. In fact, he was the lucky one. She was rich and beautiful. Well, she would be rich when her father died, but until then he paid for anything she wanted.

She could have married anyone she wanted, so really it was Ron who was lucky. He didn't have lots of money. Sure, he had plenty to support them, but not enough to make Elena happy. He also didn't come from any sort of good family. Most of his family were rather odd, especially his parents. She hoped he wouldn't want her to spend too much time with them, but he did seem very attached. She would just have to work on that once they were married.

As she walked into the atrium and looked around she was happy to see she was the prettiest girl there. No real competition that she could see. Immediately she spotted her Ron. He was hard to miss as he was standing with half his family, and with their horrible hair they stood out a mile.

She really hoped their children looked like her. Better yet, maybe they would skip children all together.

-

A/N: Up a bit early because I had a snow day from work Thursday and was able to proofread this earlier than I expected. It's a bit of a filler chapter, I know, but these things have to happen to get to the good stuff!


	5. Chapter 4

As Hermione stepped into the atrium she could feel the eyes of men turning towards her. She was happy she had this feminine power, but only wanted to use it on Ron. After scanning the room for a moment she spotted him. He was with the whole clan, so they were rather hard to miss. She smiled thinking about how great it would be to have little ones of her own with hair that colour.

It was just barely eight o'clock. Her breath caught as he turned and looked at her. He held her gaze for a moment, then turned away to whisper something to his brother George. Before she could even think to take another breath he had crossed the room and was beside her.

'Hullo,' he said rather quietly. 'You look quite beautiful tonight, Hermione.'

'Thank you, Ron.'

'Shall we dance?' he asked, holding his arm out to her. She took it and they walked the couple of steps to the dance floor. As his arm circled around her waist, it took all Hermione's strength to keep her composure. 'Tell me about Paris,' Ron said as they began to move to the music.

'It was beautiful. Paris can really change your perspective on life.'

'What, not into books any more?' Ron teased her.

'More so than ever, I'm afraid,' Hermione laughed. 'But really, it gives you a new way to see your life and what your priorities should be.' She took a deep breath. 'Things that seemed trivial, relationships and family and such, suddenly seem like the only reason to be alive.'

'I wish you had been here instead, but if it took a trip away for you to find yourself, then I'm glad you did it.' He pulled her a bit closer and whispered in her ear. 'I'm also gaining a new perspective on things.'

Hermione's heart leapt in her chest as she heard those words. They continued twirling around the dance floor in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Hermione broke the silence. 'Tell me all about what you've been up to while I've been away.'

Ron blushed a bit and avoided her eyes. 'Just the usual. The shop is doing quite well. George has a new line of Skiving Snackboxes coming out in a months' time.'

'Indeed,' Hermione replied. 'And what about your personal life? It's been quite colourful these past few years, I remember. I'm sure you haven't slowed down this year.' Ron avoided her eyes again and cleared his throat. 'I used to watch you, you know? I sat right in that corner over there, two years ago, watching you dance with another girl.'

'I wish now it had been you,' he mumbled in reply.

'Do you? Do you really?' Hermione could hardly believe what she was hearing.

'Of course! The second I saw you in The Leaky Cauldron I could see how much you had changed and knew that all the other girls had just been distracting me from seeing it before.'

'Oh, Ron. You have no idea how much I have wanted to hear that.' Hermione sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. They continued to twirl around the dance floor as Hermione smiled contentedly.

She spotted Harry and Ginny sitting at a table and smiled at them. Through the other dancers Hermione suddenly saw someone approaching them on the dance floor. It was Professor McGonagall and she didn't look pleased.

-

Ron felt as if he had been enchanted the moment she stepped into the room. He quickly told George to handle Elena before he practically ran to meet her. He saw other men staring at her, and it made him realize that she really was a catch. Well, so long as she wasn't as annoying as he remembered.

He pulled her onto the dance floor and went straight into Casanova mode. He told her how different she was, and how different that made him feel.

The funny thing was, it was true. He could hardly put the two Hermiones together in his head. She was so changed from what he remembered.

And, she felt good in his arms. As they circled around he hardly noticed all the other people around them. To be honest, he hardly even noticed what she was saying. It didn't matter though. He was sure she hadn't changed as much as he thought, which meant she would repeat herself a thousand times. He'd listen eventually.

He wanted to get her on her own though. With all these people around, especially Elena, he couldn't talk to her the way he wanted to, or do other things he wanted to do.

'Hermione, let's go somewhere a bit more private, yeah? So we can talk.'

Her answer was pre-empted by a sharp finger poking him repeatedly in the shoulder. He let his grip on Hermione loosen a little and turned to see who was bothering him.

It was Professor McGonagall. 'Mr Weasley, I hate to disturb you and your partner, however Mr Snape needs a word.'

'Professor, surely you recognize Hermione?' Ron laughed a little. At least he wasn't the only one who had been fooled. McGonagall's faced went through a flurry of emotions before regaining its usual look. Ron had always wondered what the hell was up her arse all the time.

'Certainly. Miss Granger, it's lovely to see that you are back in the country. I do hope you learned much in Paris.'

'Yes, thank you,' Hermione replied. 'It really was a life changing experience.'

'Indeed.' McGonagall didn't seem very interested. 'I am sorry for interrupting you both, however I do need Mr Weasley to follow me.

'Of course,' Hermione smiled. 'Ron, I'll meet you round the corner by the staircases once you're finished?'

'Thanks Hermione. I won't be long.' Ron smiled as he was directed by McGonagall's firm hand on his elbow through the dancing crowd.

She really was a catch, and he wasn't going to let her get away. Thoughts of Elena were farther away than they had been in months.

-

Mr Petkov was far more boring and far less fluent in English than Snape remembered. At least in their meetings the topic was business. Tonight however, all Mr Petkov wanted to discuss was his daughter's impending nuptials.

Snape couldn't give a damn except for the business aspect of the event and was having a hard time pretending as if this wasn't the case.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally spotted Minerva. He nearly dislocated his arm waving her over, but it was worth it. The conversation flowed easily once she sat down, and with very minimal participation on his part.

Suddenly Elena stormed up to their table, pouting. 'Father, Ron's been ignoring me all night! Go get him to stop dancing with that other girl.' She was nearly crying.

Snape quickly scanned the crowd and spotted the offending Weasley dancing with some pretty girl of his. That damn boy couldn't seem to stop his playboy ways. Minerva stood from the table quickly, perhaps sensing that if he handled this situation it wouldn't go as smoothly as if she did.

'Don't worry Elena, I'm sure he's just being held up by one of his fans. You know how these girls can get. You'll have to try not to get jealous so easily my dear.' Minerva gave the girl a cold look and turned to make her way through the dance floor.

'Well, if it's just some fan he should have brushed her off!' Elena looked like she was getting ready for a full-on sulk and Snape was in no mood to deal with her.

'Miss Petkov, why don't you take your father over to see the memorial?' Snape asked. 'Unfortunately I will have to detain your fiancée for a few extra minutes to talk about some business, but I promise I will have him back to you in no time.' Snape tried to make this sound like a suggestion, but years of teaching had made nearly everything he said come out as a command. Elena quickly nodded and took her fathers' arm to walk over to the new war memorial.

Spotting George Weasley walking by, Snape quickly grabbed him. 'Your idiot brother is not following the plan.' Snape hissed at George.

'What do you mean?' George tried to play innocent, but Snape wasn't to be fooled.

'He's waltzing around with some other girl, and Miss Petkov has taken notice of it. If he does anything to ruin this deal it will be the end of him, and you at my company. Do I make myself clear?' Snape said. He was losing control of his anger. 'Minerva's gone to grab him away from the girl. He needs to be reminded of the consequences of his actions.'

'Yes, of course.' George said. 'You should know though that this isn't just some follower of his. He's dancing with Hermione Granger.'

'What do you mean?' Snape's voice sounded dangerous.

'She's come back from Paris. Everyone knows she's been in love with Ron since school, and apparently she finally told him. I'm worried that he isn't going to let this go easily.'

'Well, we will just have to talk this out with him then.' The confused look on George's face amused Snape, even as the wheels in his mind began turning at even faster rates. His plan had been perfect, but apparently Granger was going to ruin it if he didn't adjust for her interference.

He nearly smiled as the idea came to him. Luckily, he kept himself from committing such a terrible faux pas, but never the less he was amused. If his first idea had been good then this new one was simply brilliant.

-

As Ron approached Snape and his brother at their table his stomach was doing flip-flops. This wasn't going to be good, but he was determined to stand his ground.

'Mr Weasley,' Snape drawled. 'Good of you to come speak with us. However, if you don't mind, I would rather we do this in private.' Ron nodded.

The four of them quickly walked to the apparition point and were at Snape industries main office in under a minute.

Amazingly George started in on him first. 'Our family isn't known for being very respectable Ron, but you bring it down to a whole other level.' His face was turning bright red. 'All of your shenanigans over the years have been tolerated. You paraded around as if you were the only goddamned war hero around, and nobody said anything to you. Why not let you have your time to shine after all those years in Harry's shadow?'

Prof McGonagall looked like she was going to interrupt here, but George didn't give her the chance. Snape had walked over to his desk and sat down. He looked nearly calm and somehow Ron didn't find that comforting.

'All of that was bad enough, but I finally thought you were done with that now that you have Elena.' George sighed. 'Ron, ditching a girl you're engaged to is a whole new low for you. And to do it with Hermione...well, somehow that's even more wrong.'

'Mr Weasley,' Prof McGonagall began. 'I think what your brother is trying to say is that your actions affect more than just yourself. You must think of your family and Elena's feelings, not to mention Miss Granger's.'

'What do you mean?' Ron asked.

McGonagall looked uncomfortable, but no one else was speaking up. 'With your track record I don't think anyone in this room thinks that if you leave Elena for Hermione it will last. And after all the years she's spent in love with you, it would be devastating for her to see you go back to your old ways.'

'But I love her,' Ron protested. 'And I don't think I love Elena.'

Ron began pacing the room, feeling trapped. George didn't support him, and McGonagall had always thought he was stupid. The only other person in the room being Snape, he knew he didn't have a single ally here.

'No!' He yelled suddenly. 'I won't let you stop me from being with Hermione! None of you know how we feel about each other!'

As he yelled he had been gesticulating wildly. His arm swung out and hit a wall of shelves filled with glass bottles. A few were knocked off and hit the ground, including one which spilled its contents all over his feet.

Suddenly everything felt like it was slowing down for Ron. He looked up to see McGonagall getting out of her chair, and George moving towards him. Snape oddly enough seemed to be smirking and wasn't moving a muscle.

Then things started to burn. First his feet, then his calves and it wasn't stopping. He looked up to see George's mouth moving but he couldn't hear a thing.

Then it all became dark.

-

A/N: Oh dear, bit of a cliffhanger I'm afraid. Though if you've seen the movie there probably isn't anything in this story that is too much of a cliffhanger! Next Chapter will be up next Saturday. Enjoy!


	6. Chapter 5

It had been almost too easy, Snape thought to himself as the Weasley boy was being levitated from his office by Healers. He honestly hadn't been sure how he was going to expose the boy to the potion until a few seconds before his opportunity arose.

He had watched as Ron became increasingly agitated, his arms swinging in bigger and bigger motions. A simple flick of his wand as the boys arm hit the shelf and along with a couple of prize potions another bottle tumbled to the ground.

This extra bottle had only been in the room for less than a second, conjured by Snape from across the building. It was an experiment that hadn't turned out how he had intended, but was perfect for his uses tonight.

Ron had passed out within seconds and was clearly in pain. Snape knew the pain would pass quickly, however poor Mr Weasley was not going to be leaving St Mungo's for quite a while. Even since the Healers had arrived and begun to ready him for transportation a host of new symptoms had started to appear.

First had been some bright red pustules on his arm, then he had begun to sweat and clearly had a fever. The Healers were stumped. None of his symptoms corresponded to any disease, magical or not, that they knew of. Unfortunately for the Healers and Mr Weasley, the substance which had clearly caused all this had rather rapidly evaporated, leaving not a trace to be analyzed.

Although Snape was a bit reluctant to continue to the next stage in his new plan, it was simply too brilliant not to. He chuckled a little at this thought and drew the stare of Minerva.

'I'm not sure what you find funny in all this, Severus. Do enlighten me.'

'Nothing at all, I assure you, Minerva,' he replied. 'We really should be getting back to the Ministry though. Nothing we can do for Mr Weasley now.'

'Quite.' Minerva said. She was still staring at him intently though, and it unnerved Snape. He might have to bring her in to his plan eventually, but he wasn't ready yet, so he apparated without another word.

-

Hermione was becoming a bit agitated. She was sitting on the staircase leading up to the next floor of the Ministry, where she had been sitting for over half an hour since Ron had gone off with Prof McGonagall. What could possibly be taking him so long?

She had nearly decided to go back to the Atrium and search him out when a figure came around the corner. She stood up quickly, smoothing her dress.

It wasn't Ron.

Snape walked towards her in his usually manner. She felt a bit like a student caught out late.

'Miss Granger, how are you this evening,' he asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

'Fine, thank you, sir. And you?' She responded.

'Perfectly adequate.' He looked away from her and suddenly Hermione had a bad feeling. 'I'm afraid I'm here with bad news. Mr Weasley will not be meeting you tonight.'

'Why not? Is something the matter?'

'Nothing serious, I assure you. He's been taken to St Mungo's due to an unfortunate accident,' Snape said calmly. Hermione started to move towards the Atrium; intent on apparating straight to St Mungo's but was stopped by Snape's hand on her arm. It was remarkably warm.

'I'm afraid you won't be able to see him. This late hour means that visitor hours have finished and he's being examined by the best Healers anyway.' Snape's voice amazingly seemed to calm her.

Without warning he was suddenly hold two champagne glasses in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. 'In any case, I was instructed by Mr Weasley himself to make sure your evening was not ruined.' He popped open the cork and poured a glass, holding it out to her.

Hermione hesitated just a moment and then took the glass. Their fingers brushed and she once again noticed how heat seemed to radiate from him.

'I understand you've just returned from Paris. I'm very interested in hearing how your apprenticeship went,' Snape said as he poured himself a glass.

'Yes, thank you. It went quite well. I think I learned quite a lot during the apprenticeship, but it was really living in Paris that taught me the most.' Hermione couldn't believe he was truly interested in what she had to say, but he nodded his head and seemed to be listening.

'And now you've come back and are planning on a relationship with Mr Weasley?' Snape asked.

Hermione was a bit taken aback, but managed to answer. 'Well, yes. He and I should have been together long ago.'

'I see. And you are aware that he is engaged?' Snape stepped a bit closer to her and seemed to be staring as hard as he could at her.

'Yes,' Hermione answered hesitantly. 'He only was with her because he didn't know how I felt. Now that I'm back, the other girl will just have to find someone else.'

Hermione looked away from Snape and tried hard to think of another topic. 'I didn't know that you and Ron were close, but it seems you know a lot about his personal life.'

'Yes, I like to know about my employees lives. I employ more than my share of Weasleys and seem to get pulled into their personal lives often.' Snape picked up the bottle of champagne from where he had left it levitating and gestured to refill her glass. Hermione accepted.

'I do feel I should warn you, Miss Granger, that his family is very happy with his choice in fiancées and likely will not be happy if he abandons her,' Snape said as he topped off his own glass.

'I understand. Mrs Weasley hasn't been a fan of mine since fourth year.' A sudden thought struck her. 'You haven't been sent her by them to scare me off, have you?'

'Nothing like that, I assure you.' He drawled. 'In fact, I am quite in favour of your relationship with Mr Weasley over that other girl.'

'Well, thank you.' Hermione replied. 'I suppose I shouldn't be so paranoid. It's not like the Weasley's have anything they could bribe me with to leave Ron alone!'

'And you would be open to a bribe, if one were to be offered?'

'No! Of course not.' Hermione was appalled.

'Even if the Weasleys offered you ten thousand galleons?'

'No.'

'Fifteen?'

'No.'

'Twenty?'

'No!' Hermione nearly yelled.

'Purely hypothetical, of course Miss Granger. Do forgive me for upsetting you.'

'Not at all.' Hermione took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She couldn't understand why she had gotten so worked up. Clearly her and Ron's relationship was simply something interesting to Snape in a hypothetical, academic way, as he said. After all, he certainly hadn't had any successful relationships, had he? 'I think I should get back to the party.'

'Yes, I should as well,' Snape said. 'Thank you for your time, Miss Granger. If you would be at all interested, I would like to speak with you at a later date about a position I have available at Snape Industries which I think you would do well in.'

'I wasn't planning on going back to your company, sir.' Hermione said honestly.

'Would you at least be kind enough to let me tell you about the position? I think you might be interested once you hear about it,' Snape persisted.

'Sure,' Hermione sighed. 'When should I drop by your office?'

'I would prefer to meet outside the office. Shall we say Les Nomades, Wednesday at noon?'

Hermione was surprised, but readily agreed and quickly walked back to the Atrium, completely missing the smirk that spread across Snape's face.

-

Elena couldn't believe he had done this to her. His old hag of a professor had finally come back from their meeting and told her that Ron had been in an accident and was in hospital. She had wanted to scream at the woman, but had restrained herself.

The rest of the night was a disaster. She didn't get to dance even one song and was left with just her father for company after all of Ron's family had rushed off to see him.

She couldn't understand why they were all so fussed. The professor had said that he was unconscious and wasn't going to die, so why not stay and enjoy the night? She was quickly becoming more convinced that she had nothing in common with his family.

It didn't help that as much as she loved his father, he wasn't particularly good company, and she didn't know another soul in the room. She saw the girl Ron had been dancing with come from one of the corridors and walk across the room.

Elena was half tempted to approach her and cause a scene, just for some amusement, but stopped when she saw the other professor enter the room a moment later from the same corridor.

_Interesting_, Elena thought. Was this girl some sort of war hero groupie? Judging by the flushed face of the girl and the smirk on the professor's face, Elena at least felt secure that the girl clearly wasn't intent on her Ron.

Finally Elena got fed up. No one else had asked her to dance, and so she told her father she was sleepy and wanted to go home. It had been such a waste of a good Saturday night. And now she supposed she would have to go to the hospital in the morning to visit Ron. Elena really hated hospitals. All the attention was on the patient, and that meant none for her.

-

Ron could hear things, but it was as if they were very far away. Voices, and metallic sounds. Was he in a tunnel of some sort?

No, he knew that was a rubbish idea. He had been in Snape's office.

Something had happened, he just couldn't quite remember. Someone yelling. George? Yes, that was it.

Then blackness.

Things were becoming a bit clearer, but Ron didn't recognize any of the voices. Everyone sounded very urgent and rushed.

Something must have happened. Why couldn't he open his eyes? Was he injured?

Ron tried to move his fingers before realizing he couldn't even feel them, or his hand, or his whole arm.

He wouldn't ever play Quidditch again. Wouldn't be able to hug his family. Wouldn't even be able to use a wand!

Elena would leave him for sure. Wait, no. That wasn't right was it?

Hermione.

That's what the yelling had been about!

Things swam in and out of focus for Ron for quite a while before he was able to piece the evening together again. By that time he found his could feel all his extremities. Things were looking up!

-

As Snape settled himself back into his seat at the table he nearly smiled. Certainly this little pet project of his would be a bit uncomfortable for him at times, but the payoff would be worth it.

Minerva interrupted his jovial thoughts by walking up in front of him. 'Well, where did you disappear to?' she inquired.

'I had a bit of business to attend to,' he replied as Minerva sat beside him.

'Indeed. Anything you care to share?'

'I have nothing to hide. I was merely discussing with Miss Granger her possible return to Snape Industries. With her newly gained expertise I believe she could be an asset.' Snape replied briskly.

'Perhaps we could also discuss what exactly was in that vial that fell on the poor Weasley boy. The Healers don't seem to be able to identify it.' Minerva continued her examination.

'I haven't the slightest idea on that topic, although I'm sure that whatever it was will cause him little lasting harm while keeping him out of my way for a couple of weeks.' At Minerva's alarmed look he amended 'A month at the most.'

'I see. And would this have anything to do with Miss Granger's return? You've taught enough adolescent children to know that a first love is hard to give up. I can't see how you are going to convince a girl who has been in love for years that she ought to give up.'

'We shall have to give her something or someone else to think about, then.' Snape replied, the smirk he had been suppressing creeping over his face.

Minerva perked up a bit. 'Oh, well I think that is a wonderful idea. Thos two aren't fit for each other, and if we could find someone better suited to Hermione I don't see the harm. Did you have any one in particular in mind?'

'Yes, and once everything is arranged Miss Granger will be sent straight back to Paris so my deal can continue forward unscathed.'

'Splendid,' Minerva was beaming. 'She really did seem to enjoy her time there, and I'm sure that it will be even more enjoyable with someone she cares about with her.'

'Yes, I believe it shall work.'

'And who is the boy you have in mind to accompany Miss Granger to Paris?' Minerva pressed him.

'Me.'

-

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It really feels great to see those messages.


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